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Friday, 22 February 2013

Catching up with old friends is the best. Apart from when you forget to take photos because you talked too much. I went out for coffee with Jade and Chris today, we went to a lovely little cafe called Rene's and ended up being oh-so-traditionally-english and ordered three pots of tea instead– I had a cappuccino afterwards to compensate, Chris had another pot of tea.

We had a little walk around the village afterwards to find Jade a venue for her 18th birthday, then had a wander into Green Ginger (quirky shopping arcade in an old church) only to find that one of my favourite little vintage shops is closing down! Such a shame. Buuut I did take advantage a little by purchasing a leather clutch I've had my eye on for months, a twisted gold link chain and a Buddha necklace (which I looked all over Bangkok for and couldn't find!).

Tynemouth is just of great little shops– Razzberry Bazaar is another of them. It's like the brick-a-brack version of Keel Row book shop that I talked about in my last post (Perfect Day). Everything is piled from floor to ceiling, coordinated by colour and fragranced by incense! You might not be able to focus on anything until you've been in a few times, but it's worth a rummage anyway.

When I got home I started painting: I have to create a portfolio for a college interview. I can't paint. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I mastered (overstatement) the art of drawing fashion models, but it seems painting is taking things too far. Straight lines and geometric shapes are ok, as are colouring the fashion models and drawing room designs, but as soon as a certain friend of mine gets back from uni I'm asking her for help!

Oooo I started reading Memoirs of a Geisha! I'm hooked already! All I've been reading lately are plays and books on acting, it's so nice to finally pick up a novel. The film is pretty good too, I've heard the book is better, we shall see!

Monday, 18 February 2013

After having some time off work before starting her new job my mum went mental with cooking and utensils. Her cooking is brilliant already but there seems to have been some sort of chemical reaction in her brain at the prospect of having a new job that's making her research healthier, tastier and more experimental meals.

So far we've had an out-of-this-world risotto, a beautiful chickpea curry and together we have been concocting some delicious smoothies. I say smoothy, but they are verging on cocktails due to my Mum's frequent suggestions to add some alcohol- amaretto is a m a z i n g in a banana smoothy.

Speaking of this wonderful banana/liqueur creation, here's how we made it and the ingredients we used:

For two servings-

2x Banana

2 tsp Vanilla syrup

2 tsp Honey syrup

1/2 pint of Milk

Shot (or two) of Amaretto

Ice Cubes (use as many or as few as you like, we used 6)

Just throw them all in a blender and that's it! I would recommend the hand held blender from Wilkinsons– bargain at only £5 and works great!

I made another jug full at the weekend with my friend Jade, using caramel instead if honey, which tasted just as good– we went to Tynemouth Market to get some supplies for a night in watching films. Along with bananas for the smoothies I bought a lovely home made brown loaf and a selection of olives (it was very hard to not eat them all on the way home).

Tynemouth market is one of my favourite places to go on a weekend, especially when the farmer's market is on! Me and my mum will usually head up after I've finished work to get some fresh pesto, chilli oil and olive bread for the night. It has stalls to suit everyones taste and fills the entire train station, mostly selling vintage/second hand goodies.

Before we got back we went into our favourite second hand book shop, Keel Row. It reminds me of something from a film; it's an ordinary house that has been converted into a shop, but by "converted" I just mean that it has a shop front, a till and empty rooms with stacks of books from floor to ceiling, reading chairs dotted about and friendly faces to help you find what you're looking for.

We spent a good long while perusing the shelves and rooms to find what we wanted, and had a right good chuckle along the way. Drawn to our most frequented room (literature and poetry) we scoured the seemingly endless heights of books looking for Wuthering Heights, only to be disappointed.

After moving into the adjoining room I remembered a certain book I wanted to find but couldn't get the name out of my head. Just as I was explaining this to Jade, she pointed at some books and said "Ooo, Memoirs of a Geisha!" not knowing that was the exact book I had been thinking of! Luckily there happened to be two copies, and at only £2 each we both took one. Actually, that wasn't the only book we bought in common either. "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan featured in both of our shopping bags, alongside "Coco and Igor" in mine– I am SO excited to read it.

When we eventually found our way back home, drank our smoothies and discussed our books, we watched the RCS's Hamlet with David Tennant– wonderful film adaptation. But I may have tainted the day slightly by convincing my Mum and Jade to watch Anna Karenina, by which they weren't exactly thrilled... I think I'll let them choose next time!

I had a performance with my youth group at Live Theatre tonight, which went very well. It's always inspiring to see what young people can create in a couple of months with the only stimulus being "Toy Stories". Really enjoyed myself!

Monday, 11 February 2013

So it's my birthday in a couple of months. I need outfits. About 3, I think. I'm planning to go to Alnwick Treehouse for dinner with one half of my family, As You Like It for dinner with the other half and then a night out with my friends. My budget isn't that big because I'm still saving for trips to London for drama school auditions, but I could be doing some work on a kids TV show soon!

I've got a couple of ideas using stuff I already have and a few expensive ideas I need cheaper alternatives to, but it's a start. I got this basic fitted jersey dress in navy, but I might have to take it up a little. Green is my favourite colour so I love these emerald earrings, and this ASOS sequined clutch is so pretty. The yellow heels will give me those extra inches I can't grow and the gold necklace will go with loads of other things I have in the cupboard!

I've been told to keep the weekend after my birthday free by my parents too, I have no idea what's happening but I LOVE surprises. Probably because I rarely get them, but that's what makes them even better!

I found this amazing dress from Virgos Lounge but I'm not sure on the colour- I was thinking more of red, blue or black. This one feels too christmasy for some reason.

Hopefully I'll be going to Paris in the next few months as well, or somewhere in France anyways. I'm looking to study over there after I finish my college course next year. Also found out that University is free in Denmark so I'm going to have a look at degree courses in Copenhagen. Thinking forward to Paris, I want a couple of really chic outfits- lots of black and lots of gold.